by Ciara Cole
Gwen felt her happy mood dwindle somewhat at the sense that something was missing. And then she quickly shook her head to mentally ward off the notion. I don’t want to think about him.
Her cocktail tasted delicious, and she took another appreciative gulp. She liked that the alcohol gave her more of a confidence boost. She wasn’t that accustomed to rubbing shoulders with high society types, and she did get awestruck a bit when some handsome celebrity gave her an appraising smile. She was simply here to have fun, she decided. She was in no way interested in anything more than socializing and letting herself loosen up for once.
So what if suddenly, the night just fell short of being perfect? Gwen couldn’t let herself be bothered by the fact that a part of her just couldn’t go all out the way the others seemed to be doing. She saw many begin to lose their inhibitions, dancing and flirting—even the most staid of those she knew. Now that was a surprise, Gwen thought as she smiled into her drink.
Then she saw him.
He simply walked into the room and she felt his presence, like a cosmic vibe emanating from him to her. He was dressed in all black, his golden tan, green eyes, and dark hair adding more gleam to his sleekly handsome persona.
Women gaped in lust and awe and men admired him for his taste, style, and uncommon bearing. He was courteous and full of charm, greeting other guests and the notable faces he met along the way to where he was headed—straight for the frozen Gwen.
When he reached her, it was all she could do to keep from flinging her arms around his neck. He looked so hot and sexy, and she’d never been happier to see anyone. Was she crazy? Why couldn’t she figure herself out and stop being so needy just because Trent had showed up out of the blue?
“What happened? What about your trip?” she managed to let out, and paused as a passing waiter offered red wine and Trent took a glass, offering her one. She shook her head, holding up her cocktail which was one she intended to nurse all night.
“I cancelled it. Involved a hefty penalty fee but it was worth it to get to see you tonight in that red dress.”
Gwen felt her face flush. There it was, that feeling she’d lacked since the night began. The butterflies in her tummy, the fevered rush of heat between her thighs, the skipping beat of her heart—only Trent could evoke all those emotions in her so effortlessly and all at once.
“I guess the party was too important to miss. After all the effort you put into the PR process, it would have been a waste if you didn’t make it.”
“I don’t really care about that,” he said with a shrug, surprising her. Gwen had always been aware of the importance of Trent’s publicity drive and the whole image campaign. What had changed?
As if reading her thoughts he added, “I’ve slowly begun to realize that some things aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to my life. That’s why I’m here tonight.”
His eyes shifted from looking casually around the room to rest on her with a proprietary heat. “Yes, the party’s important, and I do need the exposure for my PR. But you’re wrong if you think that’s all that matters to me right now.”
Gwen wanted to stop him from saying more. She didn’t want to be swayed by his sweet words and honeyed gaze. She’d tried her best to be independent and strong, someone her son would be proud of. She couldn’t start being selfish now and think more of her needs and all those hidden wishes of her heart, the ones that made you want to know what it felt to be desired, appreciated. And not just by anyone—but by someone who truly mattered.
Was Gwen starting to admit to herself that she was developing feelings for Trent? Or maybe it was that they had never really died. Which prospect shook her more?
“Will you dance with me?” she asked, surprising herself. She stopped trying to figure anything out. She wanted to let the night flow naturally, and now that Trent was here, she could see herself truly begin to relax.
He smiled and took her hand, setting down their drinks. Then he led her to the clearing where other couples were dancing to the upbeat live music.
Gwen caught the speculative glances being sent their way but shut her mind to them. She didn’t want to picture what they could be thinking about her and Trent. He, too, seemed oblivious to the crowd and drew her close for the waltz. His smoky looks resting on her should have made her shy, but strangely Gwen felt empowered and daring.
The next hour moved in a blur after that. The organizers had made sure to keep the entertainment, food, and drinks flowing, but all Gwen could focus on was Trent. To her delight, he barely spared any of the comely women around him a second glance. Though he made sure to circulate and take time for the needed photo ops, he never let Gwen get too far away from him. Gwen loved the attention from him and the looks of jealousy other women sent her, like they wondered how they could get into her shoes.
“One more dance, one more half hour of making the rounds, and we can leave for my penthouse,” Trent said. “It’s barely a fifteen-minute drive from here.”
Gwen should have said no, but she didn’t. She only felt even more excitement and anticipation, knowing what was waiting. Their decadent twosome of just last week had left a lingering thrill in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t even imagine what surprises lay waiting for them before the night was through.
Because sex with Trent was never ordinary or predictable.
However, she did start to reconsider when later, Trent led her through a discreet, private exit. Outside in the parking lot she recognized the suited figure standing by the Mercedes sedan. This time, he gave his name as he courteously held open the passenger door.
“Thank you, Max,” Gwen said, giving him a smile before slipping into the car.
It was Max who drove, no one else in the car with them. Gwen nervously glanced outside the window at the passing scenery. Trent surprised her when he linked their fingers together, holding her hand between them on the seat. Gwen glanced at him with wide eyes but he seemed lost in thought, staring out the window on his side.
Again he surprised her, when he turned to her moments later and asked her to tell him about Jonah growing up—how soon he learned to walk, his best friend, his favorite things.
Somehow, his questions made her smile. “Jonah was just over nine pounds at birth. He wasn’t a difficult baby at all, and took to everyone, which helped me since I had school and needed others to watch him from time to time. Oh, and like you, when he was younger he hated having yolk with his boiled egg. I always had to take it out for him.”
A pleased, surprised grin broke across Trent’s lips. “That’s surreal.”
“I thought so, too. He reminded me of you in other ways as well. Like when—” Gwen stopped abruptly when she realized what she just said. She looked away from Trent’s blazing eyes, biting hard on her bottom lip and berating herself internally.
To her relief, Trent changed the subject. He mentioned the penthouse they were headed to, which was housed in his building and as yet, had no other occupants.
“Don’t tell me you cleared out the place like you did the restaurant the other night?” she teased. “Even you wouldn’t go that far for some privacy.”
Trent brushed aside her comment with a dark smile. “Actually, I would. For over two years I had the penthouse for a hideout, not just from unwanted public attention but whenever I needed space from my marriage.”
He held her gaze and saw the questions hovering there. “Maybe one day, you’ll want to hear me tell you all about it. But it was never rosy, nor did we delude ourselves about being in love, not after the first few weeks of marriage. We practically existed separately for years, walking on thin ice. We were never sure if one of us would leave or stay. Then Hailey got diagnosed and I chose to be by her side.”
“You didn’t have to, but you did,” Gwen said softly, no other inflection in her voice. She wasn’t judging or showing approval, simply stating a fact.
Trent exhaled and lifted her hand, pressing their linked fingers to his lips. He didn’t speak again un
til they were there. Gwen shivered with the way he kept their hands linked all through the ride up the elevator to the penthouse. The tension in the air made it hard to breathe. Gwen would glance at Trent every other moment and he’d give her a dangerous smirk. Why did he seem like he was up to something?
They were soon inside the penthouse. One whole wall was just reinforced glass rising from floor to ceiling. Even from the door where she hovered, the view of the city night skyline was spectacular.
Gwen remembered what he’d said about this being his hideout. Had he escaped alone, or had some willing lover kept him company? He would have needed some kind of comfort, she imagined.
It made her feel dirty somehow, thinking about his other lovers and then the sense that she was just filling a vacancy. She turned to him with angry eyes and was about to tell him to forget everything. “Very cozy, Trent. It must have been nice having an empty building to yourself, and a nice penthouse apartment to bring your mistresses to. Just like them, I’m to be a diversion until you get bored, right?”
Trent frowned. “You might find it hard to believe, but I stayed true to my marriage vows. The only times I think I may be accused of having cheated on my wife, were when I made love to her but was really thinking of you.”
His eyes watched her face and the way her eyes seemed to dilate and then glow with the radiance of black opal. “Bewitching,” he murmured, gliding his knuckles along her cheek. His hand lifted and he closed the door which had stood ajar all this while.
“You. This dress. Your smell. Driving me crazy,” he rasped, pushing her up against the door and nuzzling her throat. “Every man in the room wanted you tonight. I’d have flayed anyone who so much as touched you.”
“Trent!” she gasped, grabbing his lapels as his hands scooped her dress up her thighs so he could cup her bare ass.
She didn’t expect him to suddenly spin her around and face her towards the door. Or to suddenly rip her panties off in one yank. She didn’t plan on him pinning her against the wall, freeing his hard member from his pants, and driving it into her with full force from behind.
They both grunted at the fleshly impact, the tightness of her walls evincing a sucking sound as they clung to his shaft when he withdrew and thrust inside again.
It took three rugged strokes to embed himself within her sheath fully. He kicked her legs wide apart, spreading her farther for his invasion. Gwen’s fists were pressed against the solid metal door, the shock of his possession still making her world whirl. He’d never felt this big, this hot, or this deep inside her. He slammed another thrust into her sex, setting off that hidden trigger of acute pleasure and sensation. Gwen moaned and moved a hand down to grab his hip as if to cushion the next power-packed lunge.
Instead he took her hand and set it high against the door, and did the same for her other hand. He had them both imprisoned above her head now, leaving him free to rock his next several drilling strokes into her dripping walls.
His lips fused to her exposed neck, sucking and licking. Their breaths echoed harshly and loudly in between the slapping sounds of lewd, unscripted passion. The more he plowed into her, the wetter she became, until she felt her juices trailing down to her knees.
He’d never taken her like this and it was mind-blowing. She felt him deeply, the angle of his strokes taking him to the very neck of her channel and bringing maximum enjoyment like never before. Was it the way he took her, or the situation, or how hot she was for him after a week since their last time? Gwen couldn’t tell, but this felt like the best sex ever. She didn’t want it to end, her hips dancing in tune with his fast, pumping pace. She turned her face to him and he, too, sought her lips, their tongues lashing together in a carnal, open-mouthed kiss.
She rolled her waist, needing him deeper inside her still, wanting his thick, long shaft to feel every single muscle and crevice of her vagina. Trent half-groaned, half-swore, as he delivered several hot, rapier thrusts and then withdrew just when Gwen could taste the finish line.
He didn’t give her a chance to protest, and instead spun her around again and kissed her mouth, sweetly. Almost like he knew they needed to calm down. Gwen was definitely on edge after that surprise initiation. Against the door, from the back … kinky. She had been right to think Trent was anything but predictable.
And he proved it yet again, when he broke his sensual, ovaries-quaking kiss and then said, “Let’s go to bed,” sweeping Gwen off her shaky feet and tossing her over one shoulder, caveman style.
“What! Trent, put me down!” she exclaimed to no effect, laughing and beating at his back. He didn’t comply of course, and Gwen’s first tour of inside his apartment was upside down as he carried her bodily through the hallways to the master bedroom.
He placed her down in the middle of a bed the size of her whole living room at home. There were enough pillows to drown in, and the most luxurious of beddings. Gwen was breathless by the time she caught her balance and sat half-up on her propped elbows. Trent stood by the bed and was shoving off his jacket, his buttoned-up black shirt, and matching pants. Gwen gasped as he revealed his upper body with the killer pecs and concrete-slab abs. Gwen stared at the tattoo on his right flank, of two praying hands clasped together. He hadn’t had it when they’d been together, and she wondered if it held any meaning.
For now though, it was enough that it made him too sexy for words and left her speechless at his perfection. Those shoulders, trunk, and finally those thighs, damn. She watched him peel off his underwear in drool mode; it was a sight she wanted to engrave into her memory. Virile beauty, was how she managed to describe him as a whole, so young and male and stunning. She was so wet and hot for him right then.
His grin darkened at her look. “The Gwen I remember was not one to stare so brazenly,” he teased. “She would look, but only through the gaps of her fingers she placed so shyly over her eyes.”
“The Trent I remember was just as cocky as the one now. That hasn’t changed,” Gwen said wryly, while her cheeks burned. She burned in a whole lot of areas to be honest.
“I must have had at least one redeeming quality,” he cajoled, and Gwen decided she was staring at it right now—his member. Whew, she definitely didn’t remember him being this big but then she’d been too much of a novice back then. He’d been gentle with her the whole time they were intimate, possibly never letting her feel him to his full extent in order not to damage her.
Gwen hoped he wouldn’t be overly gentle tonight. She found she needed him to not hold back with her.
“Mmm, I’m not sure,” she finally replied to his question. “You may have to jog my memory.”
“Oh, I plan to. I’m eager to go down memory lane, believe me. Going down being the key words here,” growled Trent with a twinkle in those devilish green eyes.
Gwen didn’t catch his meaning until his hands hooked beneath her knees, drawing her legs apart, and his head disappeared beneath the hem of her dress. The next moment, his mouth connected to her sex and Gwen cried out his name.
That she couldn’t see what he was doing, his head and shoulders obscured beneath her skirt, was naughty in itself, but ooh she could feel everything he did, all the more intensely. She could feel his tongue giving her pleasure, infiltrating her slit, gorging on the sap flooding his mouth, and making him growl. His delight in her taste and her texture made her hips jump. He didn’t stop at just tasting, lapping, and sucking at her sex. He pushed in a finger, readying her first with that and then added a second, both joined in a wedge that sawed and stretched her. Gwen’s shocked cries of pleasure almost made her hoarse after just five minutes of this pleasurable assault.
Gwen’s hands scrabbled for the mass of pillows above her head, her body arching sharply off the bed. Only Trent’s hand pinning down her stomach kept her lower half from bounding into the air. He savaged her clit with his masterful tongue at the same time his fingers pumped in and out of her, in a come-hither motion guaranteed to palpitate her G-spot. He was driving her up the
wall, sending her crawling across the ceiling with ecstasy.
“Trent. Oh, please.”
He came up for air, pushing up her dress and laying the folds above her stomach. Gwen forced her bliss-sealed eyelids apart and stared down at Trent watching her, his lips bare inches from her apex as he continued to thrust his fingers inside her at a punishing pace. Her lips fell wide open in a soundless scream, her orgasm crowding her into a cropped piece of paradise, waiting to implode.
“You’ll come harder for me than you ever have for anyone else,” he demanded.
Gwen blinked, holding his gaze through hazy orbs of pleasure. “There’s been no one. Not since you.”
Trent stilled, looking up at her with a frown. “What?”
Gwen let out a shaky sigh. “I may have tried to find escape in the arms of one or the other, but at the last minute I would chicken out. I could never go through with it. Sex just felt empty, a waste of time for me.”
“Fuck,” Trent groaned. His breath fanned her mons as he buried his lower face into her vulva. Gwen gasped and seized a fistful of his glossy mane.
“I only come while pleasuring myself, thinking of your touch, the power of you inside me. That’s what kept me going all this while,” she admitted thickly. She moaned when Trent gave her clit a resounding suck while stabbing at it with his tongue. He’d blow her apart at this rate.
“You want me in smithereens?” she asked him, shocked at how her voice could sound so steady when his mouth on her sex was sending her brain into shutdown.
Trent’s answer was a rough growl of assent, and Gwen smiled, gently tugging his head up and making him look at her. “Then let me have my favorite fantasy—one we never got to indulge in. Me pleasuring you. My lips wrapped around your hardness, taking you as deep into my mouth as you can go. I had my biggest orgasms just imagining how it would feel.”
“Just fucking kill me, Gwen. That’s what you’re aiming to do right now, isn’t it?” growled Trent. But he was rising up and looming over her, his powerful torso all but crushing her for a moment as he kissed her mouth hungrily. Gwen had the sharp, spicy taste of her juices from his tongue and she moaned libidinously, till he pulled apart and then positioned himself lying back against the pillows.
